I had a bad day

Today started out great- My Hawaii bound dog is leaving tomorrow- 4 puppies are still alive- and Taya had dance class- I love to see how excited she gets at dance class- I will post pictures tomorrow of her in her new outfit.

Then Jen calls and says- totally out of the blue they are shutting down her company and she has an hour to clean out her office because they are changing the locks! Wow talk about shock.

So we cleaned out her office- her second home for the past 6 years. I am in freak out mode- but we will be ok- we have to be.

The economy has to get better.

Still God is moving in great ways...

Harper (a blog I follow) is doing great- and in her own room, Kayla turned 6 months old, Tammy is going to get preggers soon- I can feel it. I have not been sick in almost 3 months from my illness- so lots to give praise for. The glass is half full.

I survived the 6th graders

Well the 6th graders did not eat me alive- but it was tough. The first class was quiet- hard to get to interact. Interestingly what was most important to boys was respect and trust- girl was love and encouragement.

The second class was WILD! They caught me off guard. We were talking about self esteem and I asked what they liked or are good at- I got answers like this:

Soft Underwear- what?
I am good in bed- Whoa- was not expecting this at all!
I like to kiss- Ok my boys will be staying away from this girl- I got her name.
I like parties- Parties? Who goes to parties in 6th grade?

So the afternoon class was crazy- and I now know I don't want my kids to be unsupervised in the same building with these wild children. It is amazing how you can tell the kids that need some structure and attention in their lives. I can't say it was fun- I just don't think I am meant to be a teacher, but it is important to get the message out to the kids about safe relationships.

4 puppies remain- 9 did not make it- that just turns my stomach.

My pup going to Hawaii was delayed- so maybe next week. I feel so bad for her owners- they have waited so long for her.

Taya has dance class today- yeah! I get a full hour to read- I love to read- so I am looking forward to it.

Bryce is going to a school dance tomorrow- how exciting.

Jen has an appointment with the ENT Dr. today.

Did you guys know Circuit City is going out of business? I had a rebate from Christmas and it is no good- bummer. Crazy times we live in.

Happy Friday everyone.

Poor Puppies

Well our litter of 13 miracle puppies was quickly reduced by 4 the day of the birth due to complications, and now 3 more have died. Jen tried to keep them alive feeding them every 15 minutes, but they were too week. We still have a couple not doing well- so in the next day or two we will know what Lilo ended up with. I hate this part. The litter was huge and they were so small- it makes it hard to survive.

On a brighter note- I am going to the school today to talk to 6th graders about safe dating and self esteem- I hope they don't eat me alive. Kids at that age can be so difficult. I am sure you are wondering how I got roped into this one- I volunteer at the Domestic Violence shelter- and I run the woman's group on Wed's- I am on call one weekend a month for crisis calls- in the same building there is a lady that runs the sexual assault program by herself- so I volunteered to help her. Last year she had me do some classes at the Middle School- and now it looks like I am doing them for the 6th graders too. I hope it goes well. I dreamt about it all night- about how awful the kids were and rude. So it can't be worse than my dreams right?

I am shipping a dog to Hawaii tomorrow- she has been waiting for 8 months to go to her new owners- so that is pretty exciting to have that journey completed. I wish I was going to Hawaii tomorrow with her, but I have to wait until June.

Jen has just informed me that we are having a Super Bowl party- have I ever mentioned I hate football? I can't figure out who has the ball. I just don't get it- too many rules. So maybe I will scrapbook while they sit around yelling at the TV like someone can really hear them.

Have a happy Thursday.

More Puppies!

Today- while many of you were at work I was delivering more puppies. These are miracle puppies.

We have a female who was a large female and by far an ALPHA female who liked to strut her stuff. Well she had puppies about a year ago and was no longer the biggest female. One day in December, the rest of the girls jumped her when she was walking by and if you have ever seen a dog fight- it was bad! 7 against 1. By the time Jen got them apart Lilo was in bad shape- we thought her leg was broken. But she made it- what we did not know at the time was that she was pregnant- with 13 puppies! We watched her belly grow over the past month, in awe that she did not lose them.

So a month later- today- she delivered. She did a great job. Most of them made it, a few did not. That is the hardest part of what I do- death. I see more death than I care to. On the bright side though, I saved three of them that would have otherwise died. By the time a Mom delivers 13 puppies she is tired and needs help, so I cut the cords, and break the sacks, and get the puppies breathing for her.

I love having puppies around- because they are so fun- however we keep them in our bedroom suite so the first few weeks I don't get much sleep because I am such a light sleeper. What a blessing it is though to bring joy to so many people.

Wrestling started today for the boys. I am glad they will be able to use up some of their extra energy.

Toby took second place at the Science fair at his school.

A new baby- just a few hours old

Taya laying with the new babies

10 Things most people do not know about me

Jen of course knows all this stuff- but for some of you it is new information:

1.) I am a very shy person- sure once I get to know you all is good but I am not one to start a conversation and I hate talking to strangers.

2.) I am not a touchy feeley person- growing up my parents did not hug and kiss me- so it is still weird to me- I will hug and kiss my family but I cringe when strangers hug me and I think it is weird that Jen is so close to her family- her Dad still kisses her on the lips and says he missed her over the weekend- I think this is cool- but just not how I was raised. I strive to raise my kids differently and I tell them all the time how much I love them.

3.) I did not have an official high school graduation- I guess traditional is a better way of saying it- I dropped out my Senior year because of some trauma in my life and then a year later the school district sent me my diploma when I showed work experience they could use for credit.

4.) I hate to watch movies twice- once I see a movie I am done- I know the ending no need to watch it again.

5.) It is very hard for me to ask for help. I want to help everyone else- I try to fix people, but I can't ask for help myself. Even from Jen I have a hard time. I don't think anything is wrong with asking for help- it is just hard for ME to ask.

6.) My Mother was an alcoholic and made some very bad choices in her life- so I choose not to drink. I do not want my kids to have those memories that I do.

7.) I used to be a Foster parent to teenagers- it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to make such a difference in the lives of kids- I even adopted one- today is her birthday- Happy Birthday Evie- I love you!

8.) I had the pleasure of being loved and loving and helping to raise 2 amazing kids that were not mine. They changed my life and made me want to be a Mom.

9.) I buried a 2 year old that I had raised from birth, I did not give birth to her- but I could not have loved her more. She was born addicted to drugs and it was very painful for her to go through withdrawls. I tried to adopt her, but I lived in Utah and I was young and white and she was African American so the judge said no way. He said I would not understand her needs. So he found her a "better" home, where the people would not try to adopt her and she was murdered. My heart will never heal from that and I think about her every day- even now 15 years later.

10.) I am always cold- even in the summer I am freezing.

Presidential Puppies

We had beautiful puppies on the same day our new President went into office- I just had to show their cute faces. They are now 6 days old- one little boy did not make it- but all the rest are doing great. Mom is a good Mama- but she does let them cry more than I like so it makes me get up 2-3 times a night to check on them.

It is so hard to believe these little rats will turn into someone's best friend, someone's playmate, protect someone from something, be a shoulder to cry on. These little fellows will impact the lives of many. I am so blessed to get to spend time with them.

Houston- we have a dancer

After 4 boys, years of football, and soccer, wrestling, calf riding, sheep riding, and all the things that go with 4 boys- I have a very girly girl that just started dance class! Jen and I bought our first leotards, and tap shoes, ballet slippers, and tutu. She is going to be in a recital and it is so fun.

Today was her second dance class- she is the youngest girl in the class and while she does not do everything the teacher asks of her, she does not participate like some of the other girls- she is loving it. Taya is painfully shy- only people in her close inner circle get to hear her talk and see her personality- so I was not sure if she would really do this dance thing- but she did. When class was over today she was upset- she wanted to dance more. It is fun to see her emerge from her shell ever so slowly- and Jen and I are learning about dance costumes, and tap shoes. Just wait until she is 16!

Checking her new ballet shoes- when she should be doing what the girl next to her is

Taya- doing her own thing...

Spending more time playing with her skirt then dancing

Busted taking her picture!

With her teacher and classmates

Meet Binx

This is Binx- I named her Cinnamon, but my daughter re-named her Binx- now where on earth did a 2 year old come up with the name Binx? There are no cartoon characters named Binx, no one I have ever met named Binx, perhaps her late night trips to the liquor store and sipping the sauce are making her hallucinate just a bit. I better put a limit on her VISA card.

For those of you following- and waiting for puppies- our girl finally delivered on the 20th- that makes them Presidential puppies in my book. She had 7 males and 3 girls. I will post pictures later. They are already on my website http://www.goldengirlskennels.com/ if you can't wait.

It is a great joy and privilege to be able to spend my time with dogs- such loving and carefree animals- willing to give your their heart at a moments notice. It is hard to sell them but they go to great homes. Taya will miss Binx when it is time for her to move on.

These pictures remind me of pictures of Malia with her dog- on my blogger friend's page. No better combination than kids and dogs.

Roasting Marshmallows

Do you ever have friends that offer their free advice all the time? Well we do. Jen's brother, Pat told her to go to the Health Food store and get these ear waxing candles- you place them in your ears and light them on fire- it is supposed to pull all the wax and gunk out. Pat said it worked so good he could hear an ant fart. Since Jen has been struggling with ear infections she decided to give it a try. I grabbed my camera. Our children have a warped sense of humor- I honestly wonder where they get it from...Bryce grabbed the marshmallows to roast, Dylan warmed his hands from the flames spewing out of the side of Jen's head. I just laughed and took pictures.

Roasting a marshmallow in the flames
Keeping their hands warm

Now Bryce is cooking a snack at Jen's expense

We are sick and twisted people

Jen is happy as a clam to be providing heat for our next meal

In the end she thought one ear felt better but the other one that is infected was the same- but I must say there was a lot of orange wax that came out- pretty sick stuff on a Wednesday afternoon. We really need to get hobbies.

Honestly this whole thing made me think of by blogger friend Tammy- sounds like something her and Mark would do!

First Impressions

A few of you may have read my blog about Jean. I mentioned that she had a boyfriend and I would blog about him later- well now is later! I will call him Ross.

Every once in awhile, I'll meet someone-or even a family member-who I know is in my life for a reason. That was the case with Ross.I knew there was something about him that I could help- I call it extreme faith.

Ross and Jean began dating- I first noticed them in church one night- remember we were taking an interest in Jean? Ross was easy to notice- he was much younger than Jean, bald, and had ALOT of tattoos- the most noticeable being swastikas. Now I honestly try not to judge people- I am the first to not cast the stones- but he looked a little rough around the edges.

That night Jean asked for prayers that Ross find work. I did not think much about it- spoke to them momentarily after church and left. For several weeks they came- same scenario. Then it dawned on me that we needed some rock work done- and I for one and not about shoveling 500 pounds of pea gravel in the dog area- so Jen and I talked about it and we decided to let Ross come do some work for us.

Ross began working for us- he shoveled rock, put up some fence, mowed, and did some general stuff. We got to know him. He was nothing like what I thought he would be. He has a Southern drawl- and was always very respectful to me- very kind to our animals, and nice to the kids. He grew on me. During one week, we were gone and Ross and another one of our workers were going to be handling things. Ross had Jean's daughter also help and they cleaned things up around the yard- he told me he wanted it to look great when I go home. Just took it upon himself to do what needed to be done. In the process he started a small fire in our dumpster to burn some weeds and bushes he had cleared out- totally legal here and a very common thing to do- however the fire got away from him and he melted the rubber lids on the trash can. Not the end of the world. No one was hurt- but he was scared to tell me. When I got home he was sure I would fire him and he was distraught.

I did not- I owed him money for his work- I appreciated all he had done to help take care of my animals and my place, so I rounded up his pay and he ended up with about $40 extra. I did not deduct the fire damage from his pay- I thanked him and told Ross I would see him next week. No worries.

Ross told Jean that I blessed him- that was different- I had not looked at it this way- but because of my blessing, Ross was then able to pass some on to Jean's daughter for helping him. Ross was amazed that not everyone in this world is out to do him harm- and it made me think about the small things we do can have such a huge affect on another person.

After a short time he and Jean got into some altercation and he was arrested. I am in no way minimizing what he may or may not have done, but because of his rough appearance- he was treated harshly and eventually sentenced to a year in jail.

Jean asked me to go to his court hearings, so I did. He wrote me and I wrote him back. He and Jean eventually went their separate ways- but I continued to write to Ross. I have been writing to him for about 9 months now and he has taught me so much. I have learned what a kind and gentle soul he has. Under all that ink, he still hurts, and loves, and has the same wants that we all do. He puts on a rough front- but he has had a hard life and that is what he felt he needed to do to survive. My friend Ann though we were crazy to give him a chance and have him work for us- but I am so blessed that I did. I consider him a very good friend now. He does not judge my lifestyle- he does not make fun of my kids because they have 2 female parents, his letters make me laugh. He loves the Lord and wonders what lessons he is supposed to learn from all of this.

I too had a rough childhood, (another blog), my parents sent me away, I was raised with an alcoholic Mother, my parents divorced, I had some cruel and very hurtful ugly things happen to me (I won't write about them because my son's may read this someday), but things happen to all of us that could so easily change the course of our lives, Ross was dealt a different hand of cards and he wears some of that on the outside of his body- so that people will stay away and not try to get close to him- he is protecting himself from being hurt- again. The tattoos are an outward expression an inward feeling.

I hope people think about Ross the next time you come across someone that might not fit the mold that society places on folks. I may not believe the same things that Ross does- but I don't have to- I treated him with compassion, and kindness- he asks me all the time why him? Why do I take the time to write to him? He asks what did he do to deserve me?- I ask myself the same question about him. Thank you Ross for your friendship and may the road that lies in your future, be easier then the roads of your past. I pay your troubles will not define you.

Lordy, Lordy- look who's 40!

Well, my Birthday continues. Friday as you all know, I turned 40. Jen said she was going to take me out to dinner and Taya would spend the night at Ann's. So that is what I planned. The boys came home from school and all wanted to go to Ann's- she lives next door- next door in the country is 10 acres away- but still next door. I did not think this was too weird because Ann's kids and my kids play all the time. I told them to behave since they were all going over there.

So, I got Taya bathed and ready, packed her over night bag and Jen said we were leaving at 6:15 because Ann's son got a new puppy and I wanted to see her. On the way over Jen stopped to see if the llamas needed water- I thought it was an odd time to check- but whatever.

When we got to Ann's, I walked in like I always do- and SURPRISE! There was a house full of friends. I had no idea. She was checking the llama water because that was the signal we were on our way- the kids wanted to go over there to help decorate! They got me. I usually have a clue about things- but I really thought we were going to dinner and that Taya was spending the night. I packed her bag for nothing.

I had a great night- got to see some friends I had not seen in awhile, got to be with my great kids and my wonderful husband. Thanks Jen and Ann for a great Birthday- I love you guys.

Oh, and still no puppies- but she is miserable.

Wow look at all the smoke from all those candles!

I love my Husband!

Great gifts, from great friends!
A candle holder!

Taya is not sure about all this- nice hat!

Today I turn the big 40

Today is my 40th Birthday- I am not too sure how I feel about it.

I really feel like my life is 1/2 over. I am not sure where I thought I would be at 40- but here I am. I have a great Spouse that I love to death and I know loves me, 5 wonderful kids, a successful business, close friends, and pretty good health for the most part- so it can't be all that bad.

I am going out to dinner with Jen tonight- she won't tell me where. Taya starts dance class today- I am pretty excited about that. I also have a dog about to deliver puppies, so it could make for an interesting day!

My Toby

My second son, Toby is a great kid. He was born into this world three weeks late. I had problems with this pregnancy from the get go. It took 5 months to conceive Bryce- so we waited a about a year and a half and thought I would get pregnant right away- not going to happen.

14 IUI's later, the Dr.'s thought I had a blocked tube, so I had surgery- it wasn't blocked. Eventually I got pregnant- but my Progesterone was dangerously low- so I took Progesterone every 4 hours until I was 16 weeks, waking up in the middle of the night to take a pill, so scared to get excited about the baby growing inside me. Finally Toby showed his face and I was on cloud nine.

What the Dr.s did not tell me was that he was born with a two vessel umbilical cord and a heart condition. They acted like he was the perfectly healthy child I thought he was. Then at 2 in the morning a strange Dr. woke me out of a dead sleep to nonchalantly tell me the facts on my new, perfect little baby. They said he would need to go to Children's to see a Cardiologist- and my world crumbled. I have never thought about the reality of not having a healthy baby- the thought just never crossed my mind. I was on unfamiliar ground.

Toby came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve, 1997. Two days later he was being life flighted to Children's hospital during a horrible snow storm. It was the scariest night of my life. I was so in love with this baby, but so terrified that I was going to lose him. Too afraid to say the words out loud.

I have come a long way with my Toby since that December of 1997.- we have learned together about EKG's and Holter monitor's, event monitor's, Digoxin, and what it feels like to knock on death's door. My bond with Toby is different because of what he has had to go through, and what we have been through together. He is such a brave boy and I appreciate his witty sense of humor and his gentle soul.

Toby just learns to roll with the punches, he went to his Cardiologist yesterday and he lets them hook him up to wires and tests, never complaining once. I am so thankful that his appointment went well and I pray for children not as fortunate as My Toby.

A heartfelt day in court

I have to catch up on blogging.

Yesterday was an interesting and emotional day for me. We go to church and became friends with a woman and her 2 daughters. She was a nice lady, did not come every week, but came a lot. Eventually she got a boy friend and he was looking for work so we hired him to do some work for us around our farm. Now I have to tell you he is not your typical guy- but I will save this for another blog.

Anyway- I will call this lady Jean. So we never got to know Jean very well, but it seems she had some mutual friends so we knew a lot about her- her husband had committed suicide with a shot gun in their kitchen about a year earlier while everyone was in the house. I began to reach out to her, I knew she was struggling through her first Valentine's day without him. Her oldest daughter was just coming out at 14, so we took interest.

Well Jean is a recovering Meth addict- she was sober during the time I knew her- but word got out that she had been arrested for drugs. I was disappointed, but honestly not surprised she relapsed with the things she was dealing with.

So Jean asked me to go to court with her- to be her support. This was embarrassing for her, and she was not able to do it on her own. So over the last 6 months I have gone to all of Jean's court hearings with her. I have sat for hours next to her and learned a lot from my time in court. Yesterday was the worst.

Jean was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Now many of you might say she deserves this, and I am not saying she does not. I am just telling you that it was very difficult to be there and see this happen. Jean brought both of her daughters to court, and Mother in Law of her deceased husband, and to watch the pain that those little girls went through to know that their Mom will be gone for so long was heart breaking.

I know we have all heard this before- but drugs destroy lives. Jean will most certainly not be the same person when she gets out of prison and her girls will be raised in separate homes with family, but they will be forever changed because of this. There is no one like your parents when things get rough and these girls have lost both. I know Jean was being selfish when she used again, but who would have know that a decision she made 6 months ago would change the course of so many lives? I know I will hold my children a little tighter because I could not imagine 4 years without them.

I will never get out of my mind the look of shear terror and panic when the judge remanded her to the custody of the Sheriff's department for the next 4 years. I will never forget the lost and hurting look in her daughters' eyes when they figured out what was happening, I will never forget how my heart broke for Jean as a Mother- because we all have flaws and I believe that most of the time she was a good Mom- but regardless she is these girls' Mom and that is/was all they had to hold onto.

I am thankful that I have never been tempted with drugs and or alcohol. My Mother was an alcoholic, so I have made a lifelong decision to refrain from alcohol because it destroyed my childhood. I do not understand, in my non addict brain, why Jean could not say no and walk away from the drugs, but she was not strong enough and now she will pay the price. Unfortunately so will her children.

Remember when...

you were little and you would build forts to play in? I was always stealing every blanket and sheet my Mother had to make forts. I made big ones and little ones, I used furniture and chairs and anything I could find. It would keep me busy for hours- oh it was so much fun.

I would bring my dolls in my forts and play house or school- of course not ever letting my stinky brother bring his GI Joe's in. I could destroy a room with the mess I would make- but it was good clean fun.

Dylan put a twist on fort making this weekend and made a hammock. He is hanging from Trey's top bunk- and the hammock holds a fair amount of weight- Bryce got in it. So now Dylan is sleeping in his fort. Taya has a mini one that Dylan made nearby. They are just having a good time. I am not sure what he will do when the new addition is finished and he finds out he won't have bunk beds anymore. :)

You may notice that Dylan looks a bit like a hippie with his long hair. It is a phase he is going through. Bryce did it too. I pick and choose my battles and hair is not one of them. I figure when he gets tired of looking at the world through his mop of hair or his friends give him a hard time he will come to me for a haircut- Bryce did.

I warned you...

I told you llama porn was going to be my topic today, and I would hate to disappoint my fans. So ta da..... Skeeter is mounting his Aunt Bandana. I guess he missed the announcement that he is fixed, poor guy just can't take no for an answer.

The llama in the front is Crystal- Skeeter's Mom. So these are my llamas. Crystal and Skeeter are the only tame ones. Bandana is always watching and if Ann is within 10 feet then duck because loogies are going to fly.

10 interesting llama facts I bet you did not know:

1.- Llamas are pregnant for 11 months

2.- Llamas do not like to be touched between their ears

3.- Llamas always potty in the same spot- so it makes cleaning up after them easy

4.- Sweet feed is too rich for llamas and can kill them-we found this out the hard way

5.- Llamas have 3 stomachs

6.- Llamas do not like their necks rubbed- most do not like to be touched at all

7.- Most Vets have no idea how to treat llamas- found this out the same day as the grain- when the Vet shows up to help you with a sick llama and he has a book in his hand about llamas- you know the outcome is not going to be good!

8.- Llamas kick sideways not backwards like a horse

9.- Llamas lay down when you pull them in a horse trailer- it is called cushing

10.-Llamas do not have top teeth so they really can't bite you

See how did you know when you were reading blogs today that you were also going to learn so much!

He used to be a baby...

Well while the rest of you were enjoying a normal Saturday- and in Michelle's case trying to burn the house down, we were playing cowgirl's on the farm.

We did some animal switching this week- moved the goats to a new location, got rid of a llama- 2 males can't live together because they will fight- and I wanted to move Skeeter, my male over to our other pasture with his Mom and Aunt. Seems easy enough. NOT!

Skeeter was a baby when we got him, still nursing on his Mama- so of course we could not just take him- we had to buy the Mom too so he could nurse- well them we also had these visions of breeding llamas so we also bought the Dad and my friend Ann bought the Aunt- we had no business buying 1 llama let alone 3! Now let me set the stage a bit- we were not ready at all for llamas- we just heard they keep coyotes away and Jen has a weakness for animals- so we went to look. We all know about looking. So buying a llama turned into buying 3 llamas, a huge fencing project and the neighbor also getting a llama.

I don't regret it a bit. They have been great pets- Ann's llama Bandana, hated her- she could spit a loogie a mile away just to hit Ann- never spit on anyone else but Ann she hates- so eventually Ann also gave Bandana to us.

We have had them about 4 years now- and Skeeter is still my baby- although he hates to be caught and moved. He just knew today- like a dog knows the Vet's office, that we were up to something. He loves these treats that I give him and even those he was wary about. So Jen being the wanna be cowgirl that she is- roped him until I could halter him- now you wanna see funny- picture Jen in her pajama shorts trying to lasso a 300 pound llama. But, she did and it worked. Skeeter is now happy as a llama could be in a 5 acre pasture with his Mom and Aunt- so I have a few pictures with him. It is such a rewarding experience to be able to love these amazing creatures that we have.

Stay tuned tomorrow- I have llama porn pictures!

I am so proud of my oldest son, Bryce

So this was Bryce's first year of high school. School does not come easy to him, he struggles to get his assignments done- and has always struggled with reading and spelling. Most years when he goes out for a sport he misses some games because of his grades.

This year he went out for high school football. Now you have to know I HATE football. I have never liked it, I do not understand it. It is always cold to sit and watch it. I would much rather have a root canal then go watch football.

They would practice twice a day, for hours on end. They started in August before school was in session. He played on the Freshman team and the JV team and when that season ended, he was asked to stay join the Varsity team.

He missed a lot of school to go to away games. We live in the country in a small town so to go to any game is at least an hour and a half drive. He was eligible the entire season. He never missed a game. He made up his work and really had to focus on school- he wanted to be part of this football team so bad.

The Varsity team ended up winning the Tri-Valley Championship and went to state- where they lost their only game this season, but Bryce got to be a part of the whole thing. he also lettered in football- so he is very excited to get to wear his new letter jacket for 4 years.

To some kids this came easy, but I know, as Bryce's Mom, how hard he worked for this. He went to bed early because his body was so tired, he sat on uncomfortable buses for hours on end, he stood in the freezing rain to cheer on his fellow team mates, he went to weight lifting at the crack of dawn. He never complained once.

I just wanted to say how proud I am. I love you son.

Bryce's team wins a game

Bryce with his letter and patches

The back of his new coat

The front of his new coat- is he happy or what?

What a stud!

Mellow, lazy days

Well we have had a boring weekend. Jen has been sick and Toby's heart seems to be bothering him some- so we have just been hanging out at home watching TV and videos. The good news is- I was able to catch up on all my DVR recordings.

The kids went back to school yesterday so the house has been so much quieter. Bryce was excited to go back to school wearing his brand new Letterman's coat he got for Christmas.

We had a new puppy imported from Serbia, but he was sick and died in less than a week of getting him. So it has just been a crappy weekend.

I am going to add some pictures of us hanging out with some of our dogs. On the bed with me sleeping is Leihua, (lay hoo ah) one of our white Golden Retrievers from Russia and Root Beer, a mutt. Toast, our Great Dane, is giving Jen a hug on the couch, and last is Domino, one of our cats, taking a nap.

Like I said before, we have a pretty boring life. Tonight I am off to PTO for the Twins' school, I am the treasurer. On Wednesday's I lead a group for woman who have been victims of domestic violence, and then Friday is a field trip for the kids- so I have a busy week planned.

CSI NY comes to our house!

So we are a strange bunch, ready and willing to go out on a limb and try new things and this will prove it...

Jen and I apparently do not have enough drama in our lives with 5 kids, 17 dogs, 3 goats, 4 llamas, and emu, a goose, 2 horses, half a dozen cats, and my best friend who is single and on the prowl for her next victim. So, to add a little more we watch all the sick shows on TV. Well, we record them on the DVR to watch at a later date- because the only time we can watch TV is late at night.

We record all the CSI's, Cold Case, Without a Trace, Eleventh Hour- you get the idea. We need therapy. We were watching CSI-NY and there was a case where these people took some berries from Africa and ate them and it altered their taste buds- making sour things taste sweet- they had a party, ate the berries and then tasted different foods- in the show they also added elephant dung and Drano to the list of goodies, thus killing the character who could not taste the Drano and she died. Her death is the inspiration for my New Year's activities.

So the CSI Linsey is trying to figure out what killed this girl and why she did not know she was drinking Drano and she discovers the berries in her stomach- she has Mac taste one and then bite into an onion and he eats it like an apple saying how sweet it is. So Jen and I get this wild idea that we want to try the berries! We rewind the show about 400 times trying to write down the name of the berry- Synsepalum dulcificum. OK so you can just imagine all the ways we had that baby misspelled. Then I go to my trusty computer and I find them and order some. I ordered them from here. http://www.miraclefruitman.com/ Crazy I know.

Well what better time to try these berries then New Year's Eve? We lead a boring life and had no big plans so we went and bought lemons, limes, and grapefruit. The only sour things that our brains could think of. Jen's Mom was over and my best friend Ann, so we all popped a berry in and waited to see what would happen.

Funny is seeing 4 adults sucking on a berry from a far away land and wondering if anything will happen- nothing did- so after awhile Ann was the first brave one to spit out her seed-(the berries have a seed in them that you do not eat) and she grabbed a lemon and just bit into it- I waited for her to get a pucker face but she did not. The lemon was sweet! She grabbed a lime and Jen grabbed some fruit-I being the responsible Mother was still watching in awe:) I started with a grapefruit- if they were lying to me I did not want a lemon to be my first taste. It was delicious. I could not believe it. The lemon tasted like the sweetest lemonade I have ever had. The grapefruit was just so sweet and juicy and the lime was wonderful. It was so cool. Jen's mom kept tasting fruit and saying they tasted the same- we remembered later that when her brain tumor was removed they said her taste buds were affected- so the berry does not work for her.

I tried to get Ann and Jen to eat dog poop or shampoo or something a little more daring but they just wouldn't play!

So that is how we spent our New Year's. Eating berries that we learned about on CSI, playing Tripoly and we watched Step brother's. At midnight we set off some fireworks with the kids that I had forgotten I had left from the Fourth of July. I hope everyone else had a great night as well. Here are some pictures of Jen eating her fruit.